Childlike Faith

The last week of summer before school starts is always hectic with buying supplies, trying on new clothes, attending open house to meet the teacher, and cramming in the last minute summer fun. As a child, my school always started the day after Labor Day. For my child, Alabama schools start the 1st week of August. That means our hectic week was last week; complete with a three-day sprint to the beach.

I was exhausted when we arrived. Why? For several reasons. I just completed a road trip up and down the East Coast with Erin. I had the very stressful experience of pitching my book proposal to publishers. Even though I’m an extrovert, I had the pressure of meeting hundreds of strangers and engaging in meaningful conversations with all of them. All to turn around and continue living out of a suitcase for a few more days with my husband and son. The cherry on top? I knew the three-day beach trip would primarily be focused on fishing.

On the 2nd night at the beach, I joined dozens of other parents smirking at one another in the dark with headlamps tied to our heads and death grips on our “flashlight” cell phones…all of us supervising small children as they ran after the crabs that skirted across the waves at dusk. Literally, dozens of parents looking like coal miners following children, chasing crabs. For a moment, I stood there looking at the dark shadows with lights at head level, up and down the beach, and reflected on how amazing parenthood truly becomes when you have unconditional love for a little person.

How else would you tolerate, let alone explain, such ridiculous requests to catch crabs in the dark?

At one point Kambell looked up at the stars and said, “Mama, isn’t the sky beautiful? How did God know to make all of those stars for us?”

This led to a conversation about how God knows all of those stars perfectly. How He knows about each one of the hairs on our head…and how He knows every single grain of sand that we were walking on.

After the part of about the sand, Kambell was quiet for quite a while. Anyone who has met this child knows that it’s unusual for him to be quiet for too long. After a few moments he said, “Our God is pretty amazing to know all that stuff.”

You know what? He is pretty amazing to know all that stuff!

Gone was the exhaustion, the stress of pushing books, the exasperation of a three-day fishing trip, and even the embarrassment of walking in the dark with a light tied to my forehead. All of it was gone with the revelation that my son was enamored with God and all that He can do.

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” ~Matthew 18:3

Ladies, this week I’m challenging you to be like a child in our awe of God.

Like this:

Related

Published by Emily Shade

I have been described a straightforward speaker with engaging humor and practical approaches to life. My passion is to speak, write and encourage women in relevant ways that allows them to grow in their relationship with Christ, their families, and their friends. In January 2018, I co-founded Iron Porch Ministries with my best friend, Erin Petersen as a mechanism for women to have space to “sharpen” one another based on Proverbs 27:17. I will retire from the Air Force in 2018 after 24 years of service. I've been married for four years and am mom to son, Kambell, 7 and step-mom to daughter, Kiayna, 25. My hobbies include reading, photography and scrapbooking, but I spends a fair amount of time on the “Shade-Farmette” taking care of the chickens, ducks, pond and garden. While I was born in Wisconsin (Go Pack Go!), raised in Oregon, and lived all over the world as a military member, I now calls Alabama home.
View all posts by Emily Shade

PublishedAugust 6, 2018August 6, 2018

Post navigation

3 thoughts on “Childlike Faith”

Well said Ms. Emily shade! I always enjoy your perspective and today this was monumental. Although my kids are older, 15 and 18, one is back to school this week. Taking school pics today, getting supplies while the other is entering college and left to take care of many of her things on her own. I remember how busy I was when they were younger yet it seems I am just as busy today. It is easy to lose sight of GOD when this happens. Thanks for the inspiration to just stop and look at the stars and appreciate that GOD is with us at all times but he
especially enjoys when we are “with” him, as he is “with us”. God Bless you and your family! -Deborah

Deborah-thank you for the kind words of encouragement! It’s amazing what a moment of refection can do to our hearts and how that draws us closer to God. I’m praying for your mama-heart (and your kids too) as they head off to their respective classrooms. Hugs, Emily